Human Farming Plan

Atop Kage Rock, on the Observation Deck, Hiruzen Sarutobi stood with his hands behind his back, gazing down at the village below.

Shiraishi stood behind Hiruzen Sarutobi. He thought the Third Hokage and Danzo were practically made for each other.

Before his reincarnation, Danzo had argued with Hiruzen Sarutobi in the Hokage Office, then gone to the Observation Deck and made up his mind.

After his reincarnation, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo had argued in the hospital, then gone to the Observation Deck as well.

"Shiraishi, how is your training in the Spirit Transformation Technique coming along?" Hiruzen Sarutobi turned to look at Shiraishi.

Shiraishi looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi without a word and demonstrated it on the spot.

Shiraishi didn't know the hand seals for the Spirit Transformation Technique, so he copied the First, clapped his hands together, and sent his Yin Spirit straight out of his body.

Shiraishi's Yin Spirit flew out through the top of his head and hovered above his body, looking down at Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked up at Shiraishi's spirit form and gave a satisfied nod.

"All right, come back," Hiruzen Sarutobi said.

At his words, Shiraishi's Yin Spirit was just about to return to his body when his spiritual senses stirred. He faintly sensed some kind of unusual presence, much like the Ghost Spirit space inside the Ten Thousand Soul Banner, though it carried less resentment.

Shiraishi remained calm on the surface, acting as if nothing had happened, and returned his Yin Spirit to his body.

After Shiraishi's spirit form returned to his body and he opened his eyes again, Hiruzen Sarutobi continued, "Shiraishi, I have a mission for you."

Shiraishi looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi, waiting for him to explain the mission.

"Starting today, you won't have to carry out Root missions. All you need to do is secretly monitor the Third Hokage and keep an eye on his every move. If you discover anything, report it to me immediately," Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered.

Hearing the mission, Shiraishi couldn't help feeling like laughing.

Danzo had told him to hide in Root and keep an eye on Hiruzen Sarutobi. Now Hiruzen Sarutobi was ordering him to secretly monitor Danzo.

Those two really did think alike.

"Yes, Lord Danzo," Shiraishi replied.

"You may go. I'd like to spend some time here alone," Hiruzen Sarutobi said at last.

"Yes," Shiraishi answered, then turned and left.

Shiraishi was now a Root shinobi. As the most secretive and harshest-working unit in all of Konoha, Root offered its members quite generous benefits.

Free housing, a high salary, and access to a wide range of jutsu were all perks exclusive to Root shinobi.

Danzo's iron grip on Root relied on more than strict discipline and brainwashing. Providing these basic material benefits was essential, too.

When Shiraishi took over this body, he had not only devoured its original owner's soul but had also obtained detailed information about his identity from Danzo.

As a result, Shiraishi was thoroughly familiar with the body's life history and basic social ties.

After leaving the Observation Deck, Shiraishi didn't wander around. He went straight back to his apartment, a little way out from the village center, roughly in what could be considered the second ring.

Shiraishi's apartment was on the fifth floor. It was a little over fifty square meters, with one bedroom and one living room. It wasn't very spacious, but it was nicely furnished and more than enough for one person.

These apartments were public property belonging to Konoha. Only jonin, Root shinobi, and Anbu shinobi could apply to live in them for free. Ordinary Genin and Chunin could queue up to apply for low-cost rentals. It was one of the benefits the village offered its official shinobi.

Back home, Shiraishi took off his mask and set it on the shoe cabinet. Barefoot on the wooden floor, he walked into the living room and sat cross-legged on a cushion.

The stir in his spiritual senses when he had sent his Yin Spirit out of his body reminded him of some information about the Naruto World.

The Naruto World had a spirit realm similar to the Underworld. This could be seen from Kakashi's conversation with his father after he died, as well as from the events following Obito's death.

However, after most shinobi in this world died, their souls didn't go to the Pure Land. Some stayed because of lingering attachments, while others remained for different reasons, caught in the gap between life and death.

That was also where the Sage of Six Paths's soul and Chakra resided.

From a conspiratorial point of view, it was hard not to suspect the Sage of Six Paths's involvement when so many shinobi souls carrying Chakra remained in the gap between life and death.

A thousand years ago, the Sage of Six Paths shared the seeds of Chakra with the people and established Ninshu, spreading the power of Chakra rapidly throughout the world.

From the practitioners of Ninshu to the shinobi who came later, those who wielded Chakra carried it with them in their souls after death, traveling to that gap between life and death.

As this accumulated over time, wasn't the gap between life and death where the Sage of Six Paths resided just a giant power station and Hall of Heroic Spirits?

If Shiraishi's theory was correct, then the Sage of Six Paths's methods were indeed far more ingenious than his own. Unlike the God Tree's crude plunder, the Sage of Six Paths used the rules of the cycle of life and death to accumulate power while coexisting with the living.

Shiraishi had considered doing something similar in the cultivation world of his previous life. When he had secretly instigated a Peasant Uprising and supported the establishment of a new dynasty, he had planned to use his position as Imperial Preceptor afterward to advance productivity, increase the yield of the land so it could feed more people, and rapidly grow the country's population.

As the population grew, so would the number of people dying each year. Shiraishi would naturally gain more souls.

These souls, whether they died of old age or by accident, might not carry as much resentment as those who died violently in war, but they would still be valuable for Shiraishi's Cultivation, especially for tempering his Dharma Body.

Unfortunately, plans never kept pace with change. The new dynasty Shiraishi had single-handedly established had barely been founded when the tribulation lightning drawn by the Ten Thousand Soul Banner exposed his identity. He had no choice but to destroy his Golden Core and travel to the Naruto World.

Still, it had turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Although the destruction of his Golden Core had greatly weakened him and damaged his soul, Shiraishi had gained an independent new world.

Starting a war in the Naruto World was the first step of Shiraishi's plan. After the war, establishing a unified new country and advancing technology and living standards to trigger explosive population growth would be the second.

The first was a one-time deal that could help Shiraishi reap a vast number of souls and quickly recover his injuries and Cultivation.

The second was a steady, long-term source of income, essential for covering the resources his future Cultivation would consume.

Shiraishi had named this plan the Human Farming Plan. While these people were alive, he would do his best to help them build a peaceful, advanced country and provide them with a comfortable living environment.

In exchange, once they died, Shiraishi would take their souls.

That seemed fair enough, didn't it?

Thus, Shiraishi had already come to regard the Naruto World as his own field. Anyone who might threaten his plan was his enemy and had to be eliminated.

Now, Shiraishi had discovered a treasure trove that had been stored away for a thousand years—a potential rival.

He had no choice but to devote more attention to it.

Shiraishi had already decided to start with Impure World Reincarnation, which could summon the souls of the dead into the world of the living, and use it to peer into the space between life and death.